'Grab-Em-by-the-Pussy' President Slammed for Grand Hypocrisy as Trump Goes After Franken

"Now may be the time to look at public accusations against Trump again, to view them anew in a rapidly changing political and social climate," write Elisabeth Ponsot and Sarah Slobin for Quartz. (Photo: Mark Dixon/Flickr/cc)

Critics were quick to label President Donald Trump a hypocrite late Thursday after the president—who's been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual misconduct—took to Twitter to take aim at Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who has been accused of groping a woman without her consent.

"Now may be the time to look at public accusations against Trump again, to view them anew in a rapidly changing political and social climate." —Elisabeth Ponsot and Sarah Slobin, Quartz

In his Thursday night tweet, the president refers to a 2006 photo of the then-comedian appearing to touch the breasts of news anchor Leeann Tweeden while she was sleeping during a USO tour. In a statement, Tweeden also accused Franken of forcibly kissing her without consent.

While Franken apologized to Tweeden for his conduct on Thursday and welcomed a Senate ethics investigation into his own behavior, Trump was quick to criticize the Democratic senator even though the president has largely avoided strong criticisms or rebuke for other powerful men accused of sexual harassment and assault, most notably—himself.

Trump tweeted:

The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps? .....

Franken, for his part, apologized and said "an ethics investigation be undertaken, and I will gladly cooperate."

In contrast to his reaction to accusations aimed Franken, Trump has tweeted out no such attack directed at Alabama Senate Republican candidate Roy Moore, who is facing accusations by nine women.

Reacting to Trump's attacks on Franken, Jack Holmes explains at Esquire how "The Term 'Hypocrisy' Doesn't Even Do It Justice."

"No, the president doesn't care about Franken's accuser or what he did. It's just a political football, an opportunity to score some points," Holmes writes. "Of course, the real reason Trump might normally steer clear of discussions of sexual misconduct is that he has been accused of it himself by more than a dozen women, on the record."

As Elisabeth Ponsot and Sarah Slobin write for Quartz on Friday, there are now plenty of reasons to revisit the accusations from the 17 women who have publicly accused President Trump of sexual harassment or assault over the years.

"Now may be the time to look at public accusations against Trump again, to view them anew in a rapidly changing political and social climate," they write. "Trump has never been charged with a sexual-misconduct crime, and has adamantly denied each claim listed below. But the world’s approach to women who say they have been victimized by sexual misconduct is changing—and so are the consequences for men who are accused."

Offering his take on Trump's hypocrisy, noted author Stephen King tweeted: "Trump on Franken: Pot discusses sins of the kettle."

“I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything ... Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything." https://t.co/FJDJ99427Z

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